How to create Fillable PDF Files

How many readers have been frustrated at the process of downloading a terrible copy of a document, filling it out by hand, then, either mailing it or dropping it off at the church office? Yeah, it annoys me too.

First, it is 2016 and filling anything out by hand almost throws me into fit. To help parishes create places where friends and neighbors can fall in love with Jesus, and annoy parishioners less, I found how a parish can make a fillable PDF file.

Why is this important? Face it, anytime we have to interpret handwriting we just double the amount of time it takes complete a project. Not to mention the error rate when inputting data. That alone is a time dump.

To create a fillable PDF that allows people to type in responses we traditionally hand write, we need software. Not any software, but Adobe software Adobe Suite of Products. Adobe software is not inexpensive and does require a person to learn it. Then there is Adobe Creative Cloud which is paid monthly.

What can a parish or Catholic school do get the services they want at an affordable price? Easy, buy what we need. I've written about Fiverr in the past and have just begun using it to create Fillabel PDF forms for different offices here at the Chancery office in Dodge City.

Take a look at the Seminary Application, I had this fillable PDF made for our potential seminarians. Not only is this easier for applicants, it reduces office errors when using the data which is a big benefit.

Here is one of four documents created for Prayer and Action. Student Registration. Again, these forms are a great way to for people fill in good information and even email it in when it is completed.

You might be wondering what all this has to do with Stewardship. If you think about the pillar of Hospitality, what can fall under hospitality? It is an act of hospitality to provide great convenient tools to help parishioners do what we ask of them.

Another reason this is stewardship is our time. The pillar of time and abilities asks us to stewardship our use of it. We traditionally think about the time we might spend in prayer, time we give away for things. Another way to look at the pillar of time is to ask this question, "Is it the best use of our time to spend time interpreting handwriting?" Not to mention data entry errors can be a big time waster and cause extra hassle in the office and for volunteers?

Make is a 2016 goal to create at least one form your parishioners can fill out will less hassle.